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Publishing and Promoting
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Really Stupid Question: getting published
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If you want an agent, there a website where you can check current agents and how they want to be approached. http://www.agentquery.com/There are also various directories of publishers, although you can also look at books in a similar vein to your book, check the publisher and google them.
You don't necessarily need an agent to submit to a publisher, although many publishers only accepted agented manuscripts.
Very helpful information and link, Martyn. Thanks!
You should check out the site Absolute Write. It's got a big forum with loads of advice and threads that explain how publishing really works, how it's changing, how to spot people trying to rip you off, etc. There are also sections to help you create a query for submission. There's a whole section devoted to sharing information about publishers and agencies. http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/i...
Thanks, Becky! I'm lurking there right now. Seems like a wonderful community :D
The Writers and Artists Yearbook is a very good book to study. As well as information on publishers, literary agents, proof readers and so on, it has some useful essays by authors and others involved in publishing.
Why not get some read by members here? Feedback is essential.
Becky wrote: "You should check out the site Absolute Write. It's got a big forum with loads of advice and threads that explain how publishing really works, how it's changing, how to spot people trying to rip you..."Another recommendation for AWWC. It's my favorite resource for writers, by a long shot.
I'll check out that book, Philip. Sounds similar to the Writer's Marketplace, which was actually suggested to me by one of my favorite authors. Always nice to see multiple sides!Nice to hear your endorsement as well, Ken! I've joined the site, just waiting to be accepted by the admin so I can join in the conversations. Pretty excited :D
Daniel wrote: "Why not get some read by members here? Feedback is essential."
I may do that on some of my short stories, Daniel, which I'd love to share! You are right... feedback from non-family members is critical (although my mom loves my stuff.. LOL).
Having a bit of trouble with my memoir.. think my constant edits have just made me really bored with it (also happened with a short story I wrote for a college class, so not a new phenomenon for me.. classmates loved that one, though, so I know it probably isn't a reflection on the work as much as it is of ME). Maybe sharing at least some of it would be a good idea.
Anyway... Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment in this thread. You guys have been immeasurably helpful!
*edit for clarity*
And just as a heads up, neither agents nor publishers get paid until you do. This rule is absolute for selective publishers, and nearly so for agents.
Whatever you do, I strongly recommend you get your work professionally edited before trying to get it published. I made a big mistake by not doing so before I had my e book published on Amazon Kindle. I thought after re editing it myself numerous times it was good. That was until my first review stated it was basically rubbish and obviously not edited.I have now re-written and added sections and had it professionally edited and will re publish it soon as a second updated version. Had I had it edited in the beginning, I could have saved the embarrassment of the review, although this made me realise what I needed to do to sell my book. I hope this helps you.
Colin wrote: "Whatever you do, I strongly recommend you get your work professionally edited before trying to get it published. I made a big mistake by not doing so before I had my e book published on Amazon Kind..."Professionally editing is mandatory for self publishing, but I don't think the investment is worth it if someone is going to query agents or publishers. If an agent agrees to represent you, more often than not, they'll want you to make edits to you MS. So whatever editing you had done, is now wasted money. The publisher will almost always ask for additional changes and they have copy editors on staff to do the final clean up. But yes, if you're going to self publish, getting a professional edit is not optional.
There are a lot of great ideas and resources above. I think though it depends on where you are. For example, I live in Canada so while I know of the above resources...honestly? they are pretty useless to me. But, let me add my two cents anyway. First, you have a wonderful dream and we all hope for such acclaim for our work. Put your dream aside. Don't do this for the money or the fame, if they come, wonderful, always make sure your motivation is your love of writing, spreading and molding ideas and story telling. If the accolades are your driving force you might hit the harsh reality that growth takes time. Of course, I am also assuming here that you wellllll already know that.I would love to know what your "fear" is? That it won't get picked up to get published? Is that it? That your writing might just "be good, but not good enough?" BAH! If you believe in you and your work and you keep digging so will someone else. It is practically inevitable.
As for the where to go and the countless websites. let's be honest here folks, publishing is a brutal business full of shyster's looking to lurk on prey that is not seasoned. hell, I'm not exactly what I would call seasoned by any stretch, but I have learned loads and ALWAYS learn loads. So, her eis my summary of those websites for you in a nutshell. Usually, big publishers, the companies we all know and love that deal with highly successful authors and millions of dollars will pretty much only look at authors who are agented. Those folks have a golden key. So, do you NEED an agent? Absolutely not. It DOES help and it WILL mean another percentage of profits being given to someone else, but they can work the best deals with the best companies. I would suggest you try submitting queries to agents first, maybe with your samples. it really depends on what they ask for on their websites. it is easier in Canada as there are only about 30 publishers and they are part of reputable groups like the Canadian Association of Publishers. I look for people who are part of legitimized national associations. Maybe in the US it is a different story, I dunno. BUT, also realize that if you have never really been published getting an agent who is looking at dollars and cents might be hard to do. you are unproven. I would still try that because yiou never know, but don't unrealistically believe they will flock to you either. Be gracious whether it is good or bad news. Remember, these people don't see our work as much as art as we do. They see it as money, and rightfully so!
Give agents the time they wish to review your work, could be 8 weeks to about three months in my experience. if some ask for exclusivity for review I would avoid that unless you REALLLLLYYYY want them to work with you. Once the time has expired, search for publishers in your area or genre. Go to each website and see what their submission guidelines are. Anyoen who seems like they might be into your work, send off whatever they want, be it a query or full submission. Hell, you never know if you never try. And, again, we all get rejected, just be gracious, thank them for their time and consideration, and then you move on and keep trying.
As for the editing, I have never used one. Screw that, I'm not interested in paying for such services especially when you can avail of sooo many others. Like friends, family, other authors, local writing groups, etc, etc. many pan family. My family is the most honest bunch of critics around. trust me, I get questioned about EVERYTHING! They always say if you wanna know if your work is good give it to grandma...she'll tell it like it is,lol.
Editing...the bane of all writers,lol. Although I know one who says he loves doing it each time as he learns more about the work and himself...)I think he's lying,lol)
I believe in me and I believe in you too, Meghan. It is hard work, but if you keep digging and keep trying, others will believe in you too :)
Depending on which way you want to go. Get an agent to pitch to a publisher and go from there or self publish. Here are 2 starting points which I found useful. For the former read this....Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors and Literary Agents: Who They Are, What They Want, How to Win Them Over (Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents)
For self publishing Joel Friedlander has good advice. Create space is an option that you may opt for.
Whichever route you choose good luck...:-)
I'm sure there's lot of good advice above to take on board, from my experience, persistence is the key, you don't need an agent for a first book, just submit to the right publishers when you're happy with your script and keep writing no matter what ....the rabid of fans I can't help you with :)
As I am a positive thinking person I agree with your comments/
Hi Meghan,There's lots of god ideas here, but my advice is to get a critique group or partner (if you haven't already) to help revise your book, then when it's ready, submit to agents. Even if you end up going the self-publishing route, query responses will give you great feedback on your writing and where the book falls in the marketing world. I recommend querytracker.net to find agents who represent your kind of book. And yes, persistence is key. Hang in there and don't stop after you get a few rejections.
Once upon a time, I had a dream. That dream involved my own book on my own shelf, worldwide acclaim, and rabid fans.
Today I had a long conversation with my mother (I recently turned 40, and I've been struggling with it). And she asked me what was stopping me from submitting my work.
I have pages of written short stories and essays. I'm currently in the midst of novel-length memoir. Some of my issue is fear, I know that... and I need to get over that all on my own.
But a significant issue for me is that I just don't know where to go from here. I have read countless websites, and I just feel more lost (do I need an agent? do I submit to a publisher before or after I involve editors? Where do I FIND all these people??)
Hoping you folks can give me a clue.. maybe a checklist?.. to follow. Obviously, there are no guarantees with my work.. but if I never try, I'll never know.
Thanks,
Meghan